Uncommon Cargo

In April 1975, Saigon was a dangerous place. US forces had left Vietnam two years prior, and the northern and southern governments were functioning as two countries following the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. But by early 1975, communist forces had begun making their way southward to depose the S. Vietnamese government and "unify" the country. Knowing his family could face execution if they stayed, Chau Nguyen, a Lt Col and S. Vietnamese C-130 pilot, hatched a daring plan to save his family - his wife, Mai and their two children, Mai's parents, and her three younger brothers. Uncommon Cargo is based on the true story of the Nguyen family's race to escape South Vietnam and reach freedom. It would not be without heartache, tragedy, and despair but it is also a story of love, strength of family, and determination. Much has been written about the American war experience in Vietnam, but little chronicles the lives of the families who survived it. Uncommon Cargo is the story of one that did.